It?s an all-dice loaded calculated gamble for India, as it takes off on its $80 million moon mission Chandrayaan I. Scientists are boldly aware of the risks and spin-offs, as the country launches itself into the Great Asian Space race with Japan and China without the barest of international insurance cover.
One, no major international insurance player has come forward to provide cover for a space experiment with 50:50 odds. As a Government of India project, it is best described `self-insured? insists an Isro official. Two, for the first time, India?s PSV has undertaken launch of 11 payloads at one go. And the GSLV (Geo-Synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle) failure to place Insat 4c in orbit in July 2006 is a painful memory that Isro is trying to draw lessons from.
However, there is little doubt that Chandrayan-I is one notch above the recent Asian space forays in its sheer spectrum of objectives. For one, its intended to be the as complete a gaze at the moon as possible. ?We?ll go for comprehensive mapping of moon?s surface. Earlier, countries looked only at specific regions or specific aspects,? Isro chaiman G Madhavan Nair said, at an earlier stage of preparing of the mission.
And no pains, no gains is Nair?s observation. A successful launch will make India the third Asian nation to park a satellite in lunar orbit. China?s Chaang?e I lunar satellite was launched in October 2007, after Japan launched its Kaguya lunar orbiter in September.
Experts feel that during the slowdown of an economic cycle, this could accomplish a brave marketing feat in brandpositioning for $192-million Antrix Corporation, Isro?s commercial arm. By its feats in undertaking heavier payloads alone, it expects to buoy the launch vehicle business.
In the Chandrayan-I mission, ISRO has grabbed business of payloads from the US space agency, Nasa, Germany, Britain, Sweden and Bulgaria.
The data-vending mileage that Antrix Corporation could get from the Chandrayan are too enormous for estimation at this time-point. India has successfully launched satellites for Germany, Belgium, Indonesia and Argentine since 2001. The Isro chairman has been quick to point out the relative cost advantage that India enjoys in space experiments vis-a-vis developed countries. At present GSLV and PSLV can provide services at 70-80% of international costs.
Chandrayan-I Rs 386-crore budget is just 10% of annual budget of Isrospread over many years, according to Isro officials. Rs 100 crore went into building the Deep Space Network. About Rs 106 crore was spent on the satellite and the rest on the launch vehicle.
The 32- meter dish antenna installed in Bangalore for Chandrayan project is another marvel that could catch the world?s eye. This could fetch business from other space probes. ?Thus if Nasa or a European space agency goes about on a Moon or Mars mission, this antenna could be hired,? says an official.